James Hook and Surrounding Area Is Smelly

I was busy packing this weekend so I didn't get a chance to wander down to confirm this, but maybe someone downtown or someone working at the Intercontinental can confirm if this is still a problem.

Everyone I'm sure is already aware that James Hook Company, the lobster supplier, burned down last week (here). Subsequent news confirmed that along with the building, sixty thousand pounds of lobster was lost. Now, that lobster is rotting away creating a horrible stench as of last Friday.

That stench is from decaying seafood, emanating from a block away where workers wearing respirators and protective rain gear continue to clean up what's left of the James Hook facility. James Hook & Company, a longtime family-owned lobster company, suffered a seven-alarm fire that razed the wood buildings and sent thousands of pounds of lobster, shellfish and fish into the Fort Point Channel a week ago Friday.

G-J Towing Inc. is trying to temper that charm. On Monday the Revere, Mass., company, which is doing the demolition and removal of the debris, started using layers of chemicals and plastic bags in its dumpsters to combat the smell. "It would be 100 percent worse if we didn't," said project manager James Morando, standing outside the fenced-in demolition site. Temperatures are supposed to reach into the 90s this weekend, threatening an even stronger stench.

It's been really warm these last few days. hope they were able to get rid of the smell for the sake of all the folks living and working in that area.

Click (here) to read the BBJ article.

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Dunkin Donuts Commercial Filming - 5/11

Just before I went to catch the 1pm David Copperfield performance yesterday, I was roaming around the downtown area in search of lunch. When I got to Liberty Square, I noticed there was a small set setup and it looked like they were going to film something. I wanted to stop and inquire about what was going on, but didn't want to be late for the show.

After the show, I decided to head back and see if they were still there. As luck would have it, the filming was in full swing. I was pretty psyched and when I asked which movie they were filming, one of the folks responded "It's a new Dunkin Donut's commercial."


Ok so not as cool as if it was The Surrogates, but still neat to see them filming something. So be on the lookout for a commercial that seems to go like this: there's a business man and business woman walking down a sidewalk with a bunch of waiters and waitresses surrounding them handing them menus and other restaurant-related gear.

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Blog for Affected Financial District Restaurants

The debacle is dragging on, but at least it seems that it won't be as bad as the Globe had previously reported (here). Based on a Globe article yesterday, 300 of the 410 establishments that had their gas service restored.

The utility said earlier in the week all customers should be back in service by today, but said yesterday that portions of the Financial District would remain out until tomorrow. One large customer, the 400-unit Devonshire high-rise apartments, has had service restored, but the Hilton hotel in the Financial District had not.

Several of my friends that work in the Financial District were telling me about how none of their usual lunch spots were able to open for lunch. Well, here's the solution. A PR-type company has launched a website to allow the affected restaurants to keep customers abreast of their situation

Click (here) to go to FIDO Boston and see if you're favorite lunch spot is up and running again.

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Gas Disruption Downtown Worse Than Expected

I say "worse than expected" in the title because "wayyyyyyyyyyy worse than expected" wouldn't fit. Holy cow, when I first read about the gas line being flooded in the Financial District & North End the articles reported that it'd be fixed in a matter of days.

Now, a report today says:

Residents and businesses in the Financial District and parts of the North End could suffer sporadic failures of gas service through the spring and possibly into summer and beyond, because it will take months for utility crews to remove all water trapped in gas lines by a weekend water-main break, officials said.

Uhhh, that's insane. Not only are restaurants in the area unable to cook, but people who live in the area do not have heat or hot water.

At least one building that I know of that is affected is The Devonshire. I was there yesterday and they confirmed - no heat or hot water.

Not cool guys. How can an original estimate of a couple of days suddenly turn into a several months. Saying that the damage is worse than you thought is quite the understatement don't you think?

I'm moving into that area in a month and half and I expect to be able to take a hot shower.

Click (here) to read the Globe article for yourself.

UPDATE 4/30/08

The news just continues to get worse. Here's the latest from a Globe article today.

While the bulk of the water has been removed, the complicated process of removing the remaining pockets of water could stretch into winter, meaning that customers will see periodic disruptions of gas service for the rest of the year.

People are already bailing out of the area for lack of hot water, but the only saving grace is that it's warming up and we're in the midst of Spring. If these problems stretch into winter - people cannot survive without heat. Better start making contingency plans - that goes for tenants as well as landlords.

Click (here) for the latest globe article.

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